Group hits high notes for local students

When it comes to fundraising, members of the Music Club of Hollywood Florida are finding that bebop and bowling make a good mix.

The nonprofit group launched the jazz-fueled entertainment/dining series in June inside HammerJacks Sports Bar & Grill, at the Sparez Bowling Center in Davie, to help music students. The inaugural set of weekly events, with performances and a buffet, ended July 10. Plans are in the works to add more dates in August, said Chai Chien, club president.

Chien, a singer/pianist from Hollywood, came up with the idea after a visit to HammerJacks. The spacious interior, complete with a stage and separate entrance, could easily be transformed into a jazz club, she said.

"The moment I saw this place, I thought, 'This is it,'" Chien said. "It's a great music venue."

The first recipient to benefit from Jazz For Cause is Ricky Holman, a student from Pembroke Pines. Money will go toward his travel expenses to participate in New York City's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as a member of Macy's Great American Marching Band.

Holman, an alto saxophonist entering his senior year at American Heritage School in Plantation, said he was thrilled to be selected for the band, a parade fixture featuring students from around the country. Holman, 17, is no stranger to the club's generosity. He's received several previous scholarships for summer music programs in China, New York and Miami.

Holman played a mix of classic and contemporary songs at the fundraisers accompanied by guest musicians.

"It's been amazing," he said. "I'm having so much fun doing this."

Chien knows the importance of supporting fledging musicians.

"I grew up in Plantation and won scholarships as a teen," she said. "[Jazz For Cause] is my way of giving back."

Jazz For Cause is part of a busy summer for the music club. Free classical music appreciation classes are being offered from 6-7:30 p.m. Mondays in July at the Dania Beach Paul DeMaio Branch Library.

The music appreciation classes kicked off in 2011 and are offered year-round. Classical and jazz appreciation classes are staged in the fall and winter at the Stirling Road Branch Library in Hollywood. The programs are a mix of lectures, recorded music and live performances, said Rob Coopman, Chien's husband and the club's immediate past president.

The fundraisers and classes are in keeping with the 64-year-old club's mission, to give the public an opportunity to learn about and enjoy music and support local musicians.

For more information, visit http://www.musicclubofhollywoodflorida.org.